Bella Thorne in Playboy: ‘There’s this effort to try to shame a woman’s sexiness’

Bella Thorne, 19, is the rare celebrity whom I like and find extremely thirsty. See also: Ariel Winter. Bella has a new interview and photospread in the now nudity-free Playboy. Playboy seems perfect for her and like the photos were taken from her Instagram, since Playboy is just mimicking Instagram at this point, right? In her profile, Bella talks about her social media detractors. (I refuse to use the more common word!) While this is a real problem, particularly on Twitter, it seems like the go-to topic for celebrities who post racy photos. I don’t know what the solution is, except maybe Snapchat since people can’t comment, but if there’s a celebrity who just uses Snapchat without Instagram, Twitter and maybe Facebook too, I haven’t heard of them. Here’s Bella Thorne told Playboy and again I like her but she still makes me roll my eyes. I’m smiling and shaking my head as I do it though.

“People often don’t want to get to know the real you; they only want to get to know the person they think you are. For me, that means people are constantly trying to change me, every second of the day, especially on social media. I’m not fed up with social media—I understand it—but people like to comment on how my image is too edgy, that I’m too edgy, and on how they wish I looked. It’s a lot of ‘do this, don’t do that.’ To them I say, f-k off. There’s this effort to try to shame a woman’s sexiness by pulling a cover over it, but I’m a woman who loves skin. I love skin on me, I love skin on girls, I love skin on guys. If you’re confident enough to show off your body, you should. Be confident. It can be difficult to get yourself to focus on you all the time, especially when you’re trying to transition into who you really are, but I’m not going to change for anybody else. I love staying true to me.”

[From Playboy No Filter]

Playboy also has a ton of photos accompanying this no context quote (they call it “No Filter,” which is apt for Bella). Bella is styled in 70s vintage looks in very 70s settings with patterned wallpaper and the effect is lovely. I really like this vintage 70s trend as it validates my thrift shopping addiction and the fact that I’m old.

ET has some additional background information on Bella and they include the detail that she snapchats while she’s on the toilet. She really does this.

Thorne opened up to ET about why she finds it important to express herself on social media. “I’m, like, an open book,” she said. “But that’s what I think that my fans enjoy about me the most, is that they feel like they really know me. And they do, they really f**king know me.”

As for whether she’s ever crossed the line with her posts, Thorne quipped, “I guess I haven’t learned the line of ‘too far’ yet, because I always do pooping snaps. People always get after me about my pooping snaps. You know what I tell them? …I don’t give a f**k!”

[From ET Online]

Yeah I’m not going to look that up. That is beyond. I get the sexy underwear pics and videos showing off her body, she’s got a great one, but snapchatting while she’s doing her business? Just no. Sometimes people on social media are shaming a woman by telling her to be a little more demure and sometimes they’re just telling it like it is. Really there’s no need to ever Snapchat, take pics or even video chat while you’re doing number one or two. It’s ok to be alone for a few moments. People are poop shaming Bella! She doesn’t care, poop shamers!

Pool vibes with my baby #myman #mcm #mancrusheveryday

A photo posted by BELLA (@bellathorne) on

can you tell I'm wearing fuzzy socks? #hehe #kitty #love

A photo posted by BELLA (@bellathorne) on

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36 Responses to “Bella Thorne in Playboy: ‘There’s this effort to try to shame a woman’s sexiness’”

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  1. mia girl says:

    Bella Thorne reminds me of those scenes in movies where someone has been stuck in a dessert for days and they are struggling to walk even one more step in the blistering heat. They fall to the sand and then the film cuts to a close up of their face and you see their deeply cracked, parched lips in dire need of even a little moisture. Yeah…

  2. Mel M says:

    Ugh, sorry still too thirsty for me. Also, I think she was prettier before she did her lips and nose. She had a more unique look but now she just looks like the blowup doll a la Kylie that everyone seems to want to look like.

    • magz says:

      THIS. When they wrote “and how she found confidence in her own skin” I rolled my eyes so hard I almost fell out of my chair.

      • Val says:

        Haha, exactly! And also a 19 year-old talking about finding her confidence in her own skin and people shaming a woman’s sexiness? Girl wait until you’re 30, then you’ll understand what that means.

  3. Sasha says:

    I am not a prude, I grew up going to public baths and saunas. Naked bodies don’t bother me.
    But when I am seeing shots of barely dressed bodies in the media – her, Kim K., Emily R. and the like. I am not thinking – they love their skin and they are super-confident.
    I am thinking – they are selling something and not to me.

    • Mrs. Welen-Melon says:

      +1

    • Jade says:

      100%, it doesn’t feel like they are doing it to own their sexuality but rather to make themselves viewed as sexual by men.

      • sunny says:

        I don’t understand why “owning your sexuality” seems to mean “aggressively flaunting yourself at every opportunity without respect for others”. Not everything is appropriate everywhere or at every time. What is the problem with people being free to do as they want, yet having the discernment to do these things in private or at the very least, not in front of the entire world? People seem so entitled and don’t have respect for others nowadays and I find it disgusting. It always seems like a big eff you to society and it’s really unnecessary especially when you’re spoiled and rich and famous. It’s a pathetic faux rebellion and it is desperate and sad. They can behave however they wish but nobody is under any obligation to love and celebrate it. Actions have consequences, no matter how much people wish it wasn’t so. Nothing will change that.

      • Bridget says:

        Not to mention, she was doing this since well before she was of legal age.

      • Otaku Fairy says:

        “People seem so entitled and don’t have respect for others nowadays and I find it disgusting.” And yet you’ve admitted to being a proud Trump supporter so… maybe there’s just a teensy bit of cognitive dissonance going on here?
        The actual entitlement though seems to mainly be coming from the people who actually believe they’re being disrespected by the fact that people who dress (or otherwise live) in a way that goes against their beliefs about sexuality and gender exist and are public about it. Then they take the entitlement a step further when they cry “It’s Mah Opinyun” when some belief of theirs or the way they expressed it gets criticized. Showing respect to others and conforming to their values isn’t the same thing.

  4. ccinkissimmee says:

    She looks a lot like Emma Roberts on these pics to me..also, please don’t shame her for her sexiness..as she does #2.

  5. OrigialTessa says:

    I think she believes herself to be a lot more attractive than she actually is. Confidence is great, don’t get me wrong… but hers feels more like arrogance and a little delusion. She’s a skinny young girl with a pert body and an overly worked plastic face. Dime a dozen, and nothing special if you ask me.

    • mayamae says:

      I know little about this girl. I first saw her as a judge on Project Runway, and googled her because I thought she had a porn name. I was shocked – she was only 17/18. Since then, I’ve been spending a lot of time with my cousin’s kids, and therefore watching a lot of kid shows. I think Bella was cast a lot as the homely girl, boyish girl, etc. I realized she was on Big Love, and she played the extremely annoying, odd looking kid. So post boob job, lips, and nose, I’m sure she feels like she is beautiful. And considering she had all of this done when she was a minor, her parent(s) clearly thought of her as less than as well.

  6. Lucy says:

    Agreed. Same happens to me with Miley. Sure, smart girl, good head on her shoulders, heart in the right place. But also OH. SO. THIRSTY.

  7. Chelsey says:

    Are her lips natural? They look painful.

  8. Bridget says:

    Is it “shaming” to say that a hyper sexual image from a woman who is 1) underage (at the time) and 2) who’s primary audience is similarly aged young women and even younger – may not be the most appropriate? Serious question. I’m all for healthy sexuality and young women owning their own bodies (duh) but I can’t help but feel like Bella Thorne is peddling something else.

    • Otaku Fairy says:

      People are always going to have different opinions on any issue that has to do with “At what age is it ok for a person to do XYZ”- whether it’s about physical appearance, sex and dating, voting, alcohol, or anything else, so having an opinion on that isn’t automatically shaming, and you put it in a non-misogynistic way. But the usual idea that famous teenage girls are responsible for 1.) Not dressing a certain way because of male behaviors (“Some will have sexual thoughts about them on internet comment sections!” is usually the argument, but people sexualize underage starlets and public figures no matter how modestly they dress.) or 2.) modeling sexual modesty for younger girls as public figures when that’s not even in line with all girls’ (or all peoples’) beliefs is problematic.

  9. JA says:

    So edgy!!! Ha! Girl is as dull as a butter knife…

  10. anna222 says:

    I must be getting old because I see girls like her and I just think how exhausting trying that hard would be. To live your whole life as a social media performance piece must be so tiring. I guess they thrive on it though.

  11. Lalu says:

    I get so tired of this “shaming” conversation. ladies, if you want to walk around naked, go for it. No one can shame you if you don’t allow it. If you really don’t give an eff… Then don’t give an eff.
    And maybe find something else to talk about besides being judged and victimized. You aren’t a trail blazer of feminism. I will be so glad when this is no longer en vogue. See also Amber Rose.

    • sunny says:

      It’s the culture of victimhood. Everyone revels and wallows in their perceived victim status. It’s apparently easier to whine and cry and make excuses instead of working hard to better yourself and your life. You don’t get nearly enough attention just being a normal regular person and this person seems to need attention like oxygen. Sad!

    • Otaku Fairy says:

      When you stop hearing ‘the shaming conversation’ (don’t know if you’re just talking about the slut-shaming & victim-blaming part or the body-shaming conversation too) it will be a sign of progress. It will mean that there’s no longer a need for people to defend their gender’s or their gender and race’s right to choose and reject female modesty/respectability politics without being ranked as less than and blamed for violence, harassment, or discrimination just because they’re not the same gender (or gender and race) as Channing Tatum, Justin Bieber, or Adam Levine. So on that we agree. I don’t follow Bella Thorne closely, but for the most part, most of these other famous women who are having the conversation about slut-shaming and the role it plays in rape culture seem to do a good job of being clear about the fact that the issue doesn’t only effect them, it has dangerous consequences for people in general, and not implying that anything less than worship is bullying or misogyny.

  12. Kori says:

    I like her hair, styling and body in the ‘leaning against the wall’ shot but the makeup? Ugh, no. It’s like the makeup gun is set to ‘too much even for a drag queen’ for these young women nowadays. (Kylie, et al) Your skin will probably never be as nice as it is now–don’t trowel on 10lbs of makeup. It just makes them look 10-15 years older. And she is one who, IMO, looks better with less makeup. Some women just don’t have a face for heavy makeup (a tip I learned while watching America’s Next Top Model LOL) while some can take a full face and look fierce. And the ‘black boots and ears’ shot? It looks like she’s in the middle of one of those #2s.

  13. Fire Rabbit says:

    So healthy female sexuality= desperately seeking attention all the time? Huh.
    And I’ve never known a 19yr old who finds it difficult to focus on themselves constantly either haha.. It just kind of comes with the age. In ten years shell probably read this and roll her own eyes. Hope as she grows up she keeps the confidence but develops a richer perspective of female sexuality.

    • jwoolman says:

      Her problem is that she is a former kid actor who never grew into adult skills. So if she wants to stay famous and in front of the camera, this is pretty much all she has. Any acting work she does now is unlikely to get her into a long-term busy career as an actor, because she just isn’t that good.

  14. Delta Juliet says:

    I have no issue with nudity or semi nudity, but I am kind of tired of seeing and hearing about it all the time. Doesn’t anyone have other things to offer????????

  15. kimbers says:

    She’s hilarious! Im starting to like her because she’s the new delusional lindsay lohan on the scene!! She’s kinda got a loose screw bc everythinf she talks about is pretty much self inflicted opinions

  16. Kate says:

    Way too thirsty. She first came to my attention because my kids watched Shake It Up on Disney Channel (dreadful show btw). She was …. provocatively dressed back then and that was roughly 2011-2012 or so, so 4-5 years ago when she was 14/15. This path she’s on started awhile ago and rarely do these things end well.

    • jwoolman says:

      Her costar on Shake It Up was Zendaya, who was steadily improving in her acting skills while Bella was stagnant and (as often happens) actually moving backwards as she aged. Maybe Bella realized the discrepancy even back then.

  17. Otaku Fairy says:

    “I’m a woman who loves skin. I love skin on me, I love skin on girls, I love skin on guys.” Love & agree with this. That’s the second interview where she’s said something completely ordinary and simple in an interesting way (“Demi is fire, man. Just fire.”)Like most, it’s probably more than one thing: as in she can be about seeking attention AND people owning their sexuality AND wanting to be desired. (Also, I don’t get why for our sex, wanting to be desired in that way and owning our sexuality are always portrayed as opposites that can’t ever go together.)